Combination keyholding and retractable member device

ABSTRACT

A DEVICE FOR SECURING KEYS THEREON INCLUDING A RETRACTABLE MEMBER, SUCH AS A MEASURING TAPE WHEREIN THE KEY RETAINING MEMBER COOPERATES FOR COACTION WITH THE TAPE.

'March 9, 1971 c. B. WQOFTER 3,568,483

COMBINATION KEYHOLDING AND RETRACTABLE MEMBER DEVICE Filed Dec. 8, 1969 (la/run W- fs-da fi United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for securing keys thereon including a retractable member, such as a measuring tape wherein the key retaining member cooperates for coaction with the tape.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is well known in the prior art to provide a keyholding device in which a body member cooperates with a wire element so as to secure keys thereon during use. Such a device is shown and described in my Pat. 3,367,157, issued Feb. 6, 1968. This patent also describes a housing much like those contemplated herein, wherein a measuring tape or the like may be mounted within the housing.

In most prior art combination key holders and measuring tape devices, the measuring tape and its housing is simply aggregated with a separate keyholder and does not cooperate therewith. Such devices tend to be large in size and therefore cumbersome to carry, as well as being expensive to manufacture. Moreover, in any such device, if the measuring tape is secured within the housing so as to be resiliently retracted after extension, separate stop means must be provided to maintain the tape in an extended position. This requires a multiplicity of parts and complex operation increasing cost and the possibility of malfunction. The prior art devices are also not-"particularly aesthetically pleasing because of the construction required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Generally, the present invention provides a combination keyholder and retractable flexible member comprising a housing in which the flexible member is mounted and in which the member is automatically retracted after it is extended, an annular groove provided in the housing, and a wire element having a keyholding portion and a substantially circular portion which can be positioned relative to the housing to prevent retraction of the tape.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a combination keyholder and retractable flexible member, such as a measuring tape, that avoids all of the foregoing disadvantages of similar types of devices used heretofore.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device of the above-described type in which a tape is mounted within a housing forming an integral portion of the keyholding device.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device of the above-described type in which the tape is retracted within the housing by resilient means and a wire element for securing the keys may be rotatably positioned relative to the housing so that one end of the wire element may be positioned against the tape so as to prevent retraction thereof.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily apparent from the following description When considered in connection with the appended drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate like elements throughout the several views.

3,568,483 Patented Mar. 9, 1971 FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a combination keyholding and retractable flexible member device, constructed in accordance with the present invention;

7 FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevation sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial side elevation sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the device shown in a position for preventing retraction of the flexible member, and showing another embodiment of the wire ele ment; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, partially broken away view of the device depicted in FIG. 1 showing how the retractable, flexible member is anchored within the housing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawing, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of a combination keyholder and retractable member device 20. Device generally comprises housing means 21, Wire element 22 and retractable member 23.

Housing means 21 includes a generally cylindrical portion 25 having a top wall 26 and side wall 27 including an inner surface defining an annular shoulder 28. A second portion 30 is generally disc-shaped and includes a bottom wall 31 and a side wall 32 to be received in side wall 27 and in bearing engagement with shoulder 28. The two portions 25, 30 may be secured together by suitable means and constructed of durable lightweight material such as plastic so as to form a chamber 33.

The side Walls 27, 32 comprise a housing side wall generally indicated at 35 and having a notch generally shown at 36. Notch 36 extends into top and bottom walls 26 and 31 and is defined by radial edge 37, flat edge 38 and a second radial edge which includes an oblique edge 39, for reasons to be explained hereinafter.

As seen best in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, housing side wall 35 has an annular groove 40 for receiving wire element 22 and more particularly circular portion 41 thereof. Wire element 22 also includes a pinched or Waist portion 42 and a keyholding portion 43. The substantially circular portion 41 is formed with an inner diameter slightly less than the diameter of groove 40. Since Wire element 22 is preferably formed of resilient metal, the groove 40 receives circular portion 41 of the wire element in bearing relation so as to provide resistance to rotation through the frictional contact. Circular portion 41 has a gap 42 so as to define two end portions 43, 44 of the wire element.

The above-described elements constitute the keyholder of the present combination and is operated as follows. A key 45 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 having a keyhead 46 with an opening 47 as positioned in notch 36 when aligned with respect to housing 21 so that gap 42 is in registry with notch 36. The wire element 22 is now rotated so that either end 43, 44 of circular portion 41 of the wire element passes through the key head opening 47. Continued rotation of wire element 22 will allow the key 45 to slide over waist portion 42 and onto keyholding portion 43. The wire element is then preferably rotated so as to position keyholding portion 43 away from notch 36 so as to prevent accidental disengagement of key 45 from the keyholder 20. Inadvertent disengagement is also prevented by the uneasy rotatability of the Wire element with respect to the housing.

Purposeful removal of a key may be performed by reversing the above-described operation. It will, of course, be understood that any number of keys may be positioned on the keyholder. For a further description of the structure and operation of the keyholder, reference is made to my issued Pat. 3,367,157.

The retractable member 23 is secured within chamber 33 at one end to a post 50 fixedly secured to bottom wall 26 of housing 21. Exemplarily, retractable member 23 comprises a metal resiliently wound measuring tape 51 having an off-center tab 52 secured on the free end thereof. It will be understood that other types of indicia may be disposed on tape 51 and that the tape may be non-resilient but rather attached to a separate resiliently wound spring in a manner well known in the art. Moreover, tape 51 is only exemplarily shown as secured to a slot 53 in post 50 and may be attached to a rotatable drum on an axle or by other means known in the art of retractable measuring tape devices.

The present invention is particularly adapted for use of a flexible member which is spring biased into a wound condition. In operation, the tape 51 is extended or protracted by grasping tab 52 and pulling the tape against the retraction bias. The wire element is now rotated so that one of the ends 43, 44 is in firm engagement with the tape 51. The engaging end is preferably end 44, since the tape has more resistance to bending against a force directed from the inner side of the tape when wound. However, either end will ordinarily prevent or stop the retraction. Another embodiment is shown in FIG. 6 where the end 43 of the wire element is shown with a flat planar surface such as 43a to insure proper frictional contact between wire end and tape.

It should be noted that when the tape is wound within housing 21, its free end is prevented from entering therein by reason of the provision of tab 52. The notched inner surface defined by oblique edges 39, moreover, facilitates withdrawal of the tape within the chamber without any portion thereof projecting from the periphery of the housing 21. It will also be seen that tab 52 is laterally oflset so that when the tape is retracted the tab will not prevent rotation of the wire element 22 due to interference with the path of rotation.

From the above description of the structure and operation of one embodiment of the present invention it will be seen that all of the foregoing objects have been met. Various modifications of the exemplary keyholder and retractable member device will be obvious to those skilled in the art. It will therefore be understood that the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific embodiment shown and described, but is limited only by the scope of the appended claims:

I claim:

1. A combination keyholder and retractable member device comprising:

a substantially cylindrical-shaped hollow housing hav- 4 ing top and bottom walls and a side wall including an annular groove and an opening; a flexible member secured at one end within said housing and rotatably biased to he wound up in a retracted position within said housing;

a wire element including a substantially circular portion having a gap, defining wire element end portions, said wire element circular portion in bearing engagement with said housing side wall annular 1 groove, and a keyholding portion;

whereby said flexible member may be extended from said housing opening and said wire element may be rotated relative to said housing so that one wire element end portion bears against said flexible member preventing its movement.

2. The combination keyholder and retractable member device of claim 1, wherein said flexible member is secured within said housing by means of a slotted axle fixedly secured to one of said top or bottom walls.

3. The combination keyholder and retractable member device of claim 1, wherein said flexible member comprises a spirally resiliently wound metallic tape.

4. The combination keyholder and retractable member device of claim 3, wherein said opening comprises a notch through which the free end of said flexible member extends and adapted to receive the head of a key so that one end of said wire element circular portion adjacent said gap may be passed through an eye in the key head so as to secure the key on the wire element.

5. The combination keyholder and retractable member device of claim 4 wherein said flexible member is a metallic tape and includes a laterally projecting tab on the free end thereof and said notch includes an oblique face engaging said tab when said tape is fully wound within said housing.

6. The combination keyholder and retractable member device of claim 5 wherein said tape and said wire element circular portion have a combined transverse width less than the width of said notch. 40

References Cited STEPHEN J. NOVOSAD, Primary Examiner R. L. WOLFE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

